There is a major question about Derek Jeter’s health right now.
In the third inning of Wednesday night’s 3-2 Yankees win over the Orioles, Jeter fouled a ball off his left foot, and near the ankle where he had a late-season bone bruise. Jeter was badly limping and hobbling during the game, obviously an extremely alarming development, and even more alarming, he exited the game for defense before the ninth inning.
Jeter was replaced defensively by Jayson Nix, and there’s a chance that the Yankees will have to use Nix at shortstop Thursday night while using Jeter as DH. Is it possible Jeter will have to miss Game 4 entirely? Possible, but highly, highly doubtful, knowing the way Jeter is – especially since he hit a triple and a single after fouling the ball off his foot in the dramatic victory that gives them a 2-1 lead in the ALDS.
Still, the question is how much Jeter’s foot might affect him going forward. Can he drive off it? How will any mobility issues impact his defensive range (if he does play short) or his baserunning?
Jeter is notorious for downplaying injuries, consistently saying, “I’m fine” and shrugging off any physical problems. It’s highly unlikely he will reveal much about what he’s playing through.
Fortunately, Jeter continues to hit. His triple in the third inning came with two outs and Russell Martin on third base, a clutch hit that plated Martin and tied the game at 1-1. Granted, the triple was partially due – or perhaps even largely due – to Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones’ taking a terrible route to the ball. Regardless, Jeter drove the ball well to deep center.
In Jeter’s next turn, he singled to open the sixth inning against Baltimore righty Miguel Gonzalez, but he was erased when the next hitter, Ichiro Suzuki, grounded into a force play. In his final at-bat of the night, Jeter struck out in the eighth inning. At that point, manager Joe Girardi pulled him.
For the series, the 38-year-old Jeter is hitting .462 (6-for-13) with two RBIs. He has an all-time major league-best 197 postseason hits in an all-time major-league-high 155 games.
If the Yankees have to use Nix at short tonight, they’ll weaken themselves offensively. They could theoretically use Eduardo Nunez at short – a much stronger hitter than Nix and an electric runner – while using Jeter as DH. But Nunez is a defensive risk.